The president of MSNBC, Rebecca Kutler, is facing calls for her firing after a contributor, Matthew Dowd, blamed Charlie Kirk’s “hateful” rhetoric for the attack on the conservative commentator and a star anchor, Katie Tur, speculated that President Trump would exploit the situation to nefarious political ends.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, when it was known that Kirk had been shot but it was not reported yet that he had died, Mr. Dowd, a paid MSNBC contributor, appeared on Ms. Tur’s MSNBC show, “Katy Tur Reports,” and blamed the attack on Kirk on his “hateful” behavior, saying, “He’s been one of the most divisive, especially younger divisive figures, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech, aimed at certain groups.”

“I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that’s the environment we’re in that, that people just can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place, and that’s the unfortunate environment we’re in,” Mr. Dowd said. 

The incendiary comment sparked outrage and led to a condemnation from Ms. Kutler, who, hours later, said in a statement, “During our breaking news coverage of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Matthew Dowd made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”

“We apologize for his statements, as has he. There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise,” she added.

Mr. Dowd posted an apology on the left-wing social media platform Bluesky, saying that he was “asked a question on the environment we are in” and apologizes for his “tone and words.”

“Let me be clear, I in no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack,” Mr. Dowd said. 

Despite his apology, MSNBC fired Mr. Dowd. 

However, the response to Mr. Dowd’s comment did not quell the outrage. And users on social media called for Ms. Kutler to be fired. 

An author, Saul Montes-Bradley, posted on X, “They must now fire Rebecca Kutler, then everyone else, and then close this Trotskyite zoo.”

Podcaster J.R. Klein wrote, “Kutler should resign and everyone involved in the show today should be fired.”

Another person called for Ms. Tur and Ms. Kutler to be fired. 

The president of the Media Research Center, David Bozell, appeared on Newsmax and criticized Ms. Tur, who previously dated a far-left commentator, Keith Olbermann, and wrote a best-selling anti-Trump book, for suggesting the Trump administration would use the slaying of Kirk “as a justification for something.”

Mr. Bozell said, “She should be fired for that kind of rhetoric in the moment. In a breaking news situation, you look into the camera, you get the news in your earpiece, and you just stick to the facts and script as you know it.”

“To be an anchorwoman and to speculate that Donald Trump is going to use this as a political tool and a weapon is beyond the pale. She should be dismissed by MSNBC,” Mr. Bozell said. 

The calls for Ms. Kutler and Ms. Tur to be fired come as MSNBC is set to be spun off from Comcast’s NBCUniversal under a new company, Versant, where it will be renamed MS NOW. 

Ms. Kutler worked at CNN for 12 years and was a lieutenant of CNN’s then-CEO, Jeff Zucker, under whom CNN became a far-left, anti-Trump outlet. She joined MSNBC in 2022. 

Earlier this year, Ms. Kutler was appointed as the head of MSNBC and she is expected to stay after the spin-off happens, giving her far more flexibility to shape the editorial voice as the network will have to develop a new identity without its NBC connection. 

On top of losing the “NBC” part of its name, it will also lose the iconic peacock logo and its ability to rely on NBC News journalists, forcing MS NOW to hire its own reporters to cover the White House, Congress, and breaking news events, which will give the leadership the ability to potentially take the network even further left.

Since Rachel Maddow receded from view — she now works one day a week for a reported $25 million a year — MSNBC has become less wonky, which was Ms. Maddow’s signature, and more harsh and sharper-edged in its personalities’ commentary on MAGA and Trump supporters. Ms. Kutler has platformed stars from the Biden administration, such as Jen Psaki and Symone Sanders-Townsend. Meanwhile, Ms. Maddow’s influence has waned. She spoke out publicly on air to protest a series of lay-offs, which Ms. Maddow said adversely affect hosts of color, that Ms. Kutler made to clear the path for the Biden alumnae.

MSNBC did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.